Well Liked Whaler Back in Town

Hartford had a very different feel when the Hartford Whalers were here. It wasn’t unusual to run into one of the team’s stars at a store or restaurant and they were ubiquitous at charity events. They were the biggest celebrities around and it was pretty cool to meet one of the guys whose highlights showed up on ESPN, or whose name was mentioned in Sports Illustrated.

Being a reporter I met an occasional Whaler while doing a story, but it wasn’t unusual to see them out in public. I remember running into Whalers left winger Geoff Sanderson at the now defunct Cool Moose, a bar in the West End that was one of the watering holes frequented by Whalers players. These guys were always surrounded by good looking starstruck women, hoping to get an NHL player as a boyfriend.

As if we needed a reminder that time is passing, Sanderson turns 42 in a few weeks! He worked as a scout for the New York Islanders, and now owns his own business in his native Canada. Who knows, maybe he’ll be back to Connecticut’s capital city again in the future, dare I say it, as coach of a restored Hartford Whalers?